For Anthony Weiner, the calculation on running for New York mayor is simple — it’s now or never. For Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, it’s complicated.

Weiner, the former congressman from Queens who left office amid scandal in 2011, is looking at a comeback this year. He has ties to two of New York’s best-known political figures, neither of whom has spoken publicly about him running.

“No comment,” Schumer, the state’s senior senator, said on ABC’s “This Week” when asked repeatedly about a potential Weiner bid. Weiner has often described himself as a protégé of Schumer. Their relationship became strained a few years ago prior to the scandal, multiple sources say, although they dined together recently.

For Schumer, questions about Weiner would be, at minimum, an unwanted distraction over the next several months if he runs. The senator saw up close the concern among Democratic leadership about the impact the congressman’s scandal would have on the party when he initially planned to stay in office and fight two years ago. Weiner initially lied about sending a suggestive tweet of his underwear to a woman, then later confessed and resigned.

Two consecutive public polls on the mayor’s race have shown Weiner in second place, indicating the weakness of the field and a path for him to enter it.

The situation is also potentially awkward for the Clintons, with their record-high approval ratings over the past year and Hillary Clinton widely viewed as her party’s 2016 front-runner. Having Weiner talk about them in interviews is a less-than-ideal reminder of scandal, no matter how far in the rearview mirror it is.

“Weiner’s mayoral jousting will result in reminders to all that he came from Schumer and, by marrying Huma, is wed to the Clintons, something neither Clinton nor Schumer probably want etched forever into the collective public mind,” said Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, who is not attached to any of the mayoral candidates.

A Clinton aide was circumspect when asked about Weiner’s and Abedin’s interview with The New York Times Magazine, their first at-length media encounter since the congressman left office nearly two years ago. In that interview, as well as one with cable news station NY1, Weiner talked about the Clintons, including a reference to how the Monica Lewinsky scandal affected Hillary Clinton.

Multiple sources said some in the extended Clintonworld were less than thrilled that Weiner discussed them in the two interviews — including describing Bill Clinton to NY1 as a source of “great support and friendship.” A source familiar with the matter previously told POLITICO that Clinton’s office had no heads up that he was mentioned in either interview.

The comment from Weiner — in response to a question about whether he has spoken to Bill Clinton in the context of his own troubles two years ago — was specific to chatter between the two families.

But the Clintons, who have ties to several of the 2013 Democratic mayoral candidates, also would not pick sides in the primary, and the Weiner comment seemed to indicate some level of approval.

If it happens again, at some point, “the Clintons are going to have to respond to that, and it’s likely not to be the kind of response he wants,” said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a longtime observer of the former first couple.

A spokesman for Hillary Clinton, Philippe Reines, swatted away a question about the Clintons feeling unenthusiastic about a Weiner mayoral run and potentially expressing that sentiment, saying, “That doesn’t sound even remotely legitimate.”

By marrying Abedin, whom the Clintons view as a surrogate daughter, Weiner essentially married into the family. Abedin is not only beloved by the Clintons but also by the extended Clinton orbit. But the Clintons were furious with him in 2011 over his Twitter scandal and the toll it took on Abedin, according to several people familiar with the issue.

But a number of Clinton allies also believe Weiner has more than paid the price for his mistake and deserves the chance to campaign again.

What’s more, Hillary Clinton is well-known as being loyal to those close to her, and Abedin — who described to the Times what went into her decision to work to save her marriage — is at the top of that list. Abedin is generally in favor of Weiner running.

Weiner is in a bind regarding the Clintons. He will be asked about them constantly and is likely to create a stir no matter what answer he gives.

Nonetheless, a Weiner campaign — he is actively involved in trying to hire staff, sources say — would become a national story, and the Clintons’ names are bound to come up repeatedly.

“From Hillary’s perspective, she’s been through far worse and come out fine, and she is completely devoted to Huma,” said longtime Clinton friend Paul Begala. “And … one of the qualities people like most about Hillary is her loyalty.”

Begala, like Dean, argued there is little downside for Clinton or Schumer in a Weiner run.

“I don’t see a lot of risk for her in that,” Begala said, noting this race will be “ancient history” by 2016. Of Schumer, he said, “He’s a really impressive statewide candidate,” and this is a municipal race.

“I don’t see how this ends up as a negative for Chuck or Hillary,” said Dean.

For Schumer — a careful political strategist who also has worked closely with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — a Weiner campaign means repeated grillings about the Democratic primary at his trademark Sunday press conferences.

While Weiner and Schumer have not been politically close for some period of time, the image of the former congressman as the senator’s mini-me lingers.